propeace global

Jason White's blog

There is gratitude and discontent for awareness and all that we create with it, as we develop our capacities to free ourselves from the bondage of the past and the desires and fears of the future, so that we may experience and embrace the enduring truth of this living moment to the fullest.

I'm mystified by the floundering attempts of bureaucrats to fix the economy. I'm no economist, but the problem seems plain to me. The ailing part of our economy is built upon information and concepts rather than tangible, concrete things. read more »

On the right you'll see a link to "Ideas for Change in America". Click the "vote now" button to vote for "Appoint Secretary of Peace in Department of Peace". It's time that peace had a seat at the table of power.

There has always been a higher, spiritual hand active in the life of the United States, beginning with its founding in 1776 by one of the greatest gatherings of political geniuses ever seen on the planet. And throughout its 212 year life, at each moment of agonizing need, the United States has seen an inspired leader emerge to meet the crises of the times with vision, strength and the gifts required. Abraham Lincoln saved the Union and ended slavery, Franklin D. Roosevelt acted boldly to help end the Great Depression and defeat the Axis Powers. And now, in this moment of historical crisis, another great leader, uniquely qualified to meet the needs of our nation and the world, has come forth, overlighted by Spirit, as an expression of the soul of the American people. read more »

I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to have cast this ballot today. The most important criterion, of course, for any cadidate for President of the United States is that he or she is qualified for the job, whatever that means to each of us individually. But for me, the second most important issue in this particular election is race. I was able to cast my ballot for a black man for President. What does that mean?

I am a privileged, white, middle class, male suburbanite. I know that my road has been an easy one. But I also feel the pain of the injustices my race has carried out on people of African descent. My ancestors participated in a culture of enslaving Africans for hundreds of years. They violently tore these people from their homes, families, religions and cultures, and forced them to work for the benefit of the white culture. Then when their conscience caught up with them, they fought a bloody civil war to have them freed. For 100 years after that they were still treated as lessor human beings. Finally they were given equality under law in the United States in the 1960s.

However, there has never been a process of reconciliation. There are still undercurrents of bitterness and distrust that permeate our culture and underlie our civic structures.

When Barack Hussein Obama is elected President of the United States, it will represent an enormous, symbolic step toward reconciliation. Equality under the law can no longer be considered empty rhetoric. The white majority in this country will have offered a tremendous gesture of good will toward the black minority. Structures of racial injustice and privilege that have existed for centuries will accelerate their inevitable collapse.

Obviously, there will still be much work to do. But for now, today, just VOTE!

Here is an interesting observation from David Brooks at the New York Times.

Quote:

Through the debate, [Obama] was reassuring and self-composed. McCain, an experienced old hand, would blink furiously over the tension of the moment, but Obama didn’t reveal even unconscious signs of nervousness. There was no hint of an unwanted feeling.

They say we are products of our environments, but Obama, the sojourner, seems to go through various situations without being overly touched by them. Over the past two years, he has been the subject of nearly unparalleled public worship, but far from getting drunk on it, he has become less grandiloquent as the campaign has gone along.

Barack Obama is a man who knows himself well, and seems to understand how to operate as the Observer. This is a very good sign. If he is able to handle presidential power in this manner, if elected, he will be a potent and inspiring world leader.

This is our moment to shine! This is the moment when the paroxysms of Fear turn it into a parody of itself, unmasked in dramatic futility. We see its contortions of ignorance and misunderstanding shimmering and shifting, desperate to lure us back. We hear its salacious and seditious whisperings of imaginary scandals. We feel righteous indignation, but we know that to respond from there is to give credence to the barren, exhausted nonsense of Fear.

Lynch mobs of prejudice and petulance, terrified by the terrorist in their minds, are jumping up and down and shouting impotently at the end of their era. They are unable to look into the eyes of love and recognize themselves there. They are consumed by the painful hole in their hearts. They see only the "other" as an illusion of themselves, unloved.

This is our moment! Our wills are in alignment, and we are shining our light in unison into the once impenetrable darkness. Our minds now perceive the breathtaking delusion, plainly revealed, naked. We know without struggle how to live the response.

This is our moment! Our hearts open to the sickness and suffering, and we know that it cannot harm us. We breathe it all in and exhale it humbly back to the universal from which it came. We offer forgiveness to those who know not what they do. Their spasms subside, they awaken blinking in bewilderment and benevolence. We walk together, without obstacles, in peace.

You can tell a lot about a person by what kind of relationship he or she is in. A good relationship absolutely requires trustworthiness, honesty, patience, humility, perseverance and authenticity, to name just a few virtues of character.

Certainly these are all virtues we'd like to see in a President. So what can be deduced about Barack Obama's character by reflecting on his relationship with his wife, Michelle?

Great article from Deepak Chopra including a week long peacemaking exercise.

Quote:

The prevailing idea is that war begins in each human heart and can only end there. The religious tradition of praying for peace is the closest most people will ever come to ending war in their own hearts. Most people have actually never heard of this approach.
Why has it failed?
Because nobody has really tried it.

Well, I wouldn't say nobody has tried it. But certainly not enough people have tried it yet.

Happy International Day of Peace, everyone! May peace prevail on Earth.

who's online

who's new

support this community

Help keep propeace.net online and spread the word at the same time. Make a donation of US$5 or more and receive a propeace.net button. The button is a 2" X 3" (5.1cm X 7.6cm) rectangle that looks like this: